Architecture Practice - Page 4Features directions an architecture magazine that looks at contemporary Architecture, green design, architecture awards as well as residential architecture, office design, and the architecture firms that design themhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:40:33 +0000Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Managementen-gbModest Improvement in Architecture Billings Index http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/modest-improvement-in-architecture-billings-index-/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/modest-improvement-in-architecture-billings-index-/“Project cancelations, regardless of when they happen in the design phase, continue to be the main road block to recovery for the construction sector,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Numerous projects have been put on hold indefinitely over the last several months with little hope that they will be resumed. Work that is being done is more likely smaller renovation projects, as opposed to new buildings.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeWed, 22 Sep 2010 14:08:11 +0000Still Showing Weakness, Architecture Billings Index Increases Slightlyhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-increases-slightly/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-increases-slightly/
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeThu, 19 Aug 2010 12:30:14 +0000AIA Urges Senate to Put Partisanship Aside and Pass Legislation to Help Solve the Credit Crunchhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-urges-senate-to-put-partisanship-aside-and-pass-legislation-to-help-solve-the-credit-crunch/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-urges-senate-to-put-partisanship-aside-and-pass-legislation-to-help-solve-the-credit-crunch/“The design and construction sector in which architects compete has seen employment drop by 25 percent since the recession began in 2007,” said Paul Mendelsohn, AIA Vice President, Government and Community Relations. “The AIA Architecture Billings Index has remained in a negative state for nearly 2 years.

“The industry continues to be affected by an extremely risk-averse attitude on the part of lending institutions,” Mendelsohn said. “This is especially true for large construction projects.”

The AIA submitted its statement today to the House Financial Services Committee ahead of its hearing that will examine the alternatives available to promoting liquidity in the commercial real estate markets, and as the Senate continued debating small business relief legislation. The AIA congratulated the Committee for passing legislation on a voice vote that establishes a regulatory framework for a U.S. covered bond market. Such a market will increase liquidity in many credit markets by giving banks access to a separate source of funds for secured lending.
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (A. I.)Architecture PracticeMon, 02 Aug 2010 14:59:36 +0000AIA Urges Congress to Save Clean Energy Bond Programhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-urges-congress-to-save-clean-energy-bond-program/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-urges-congress-to-save-clean-energy-bond-program/Calls on Congress to Pass Legislation Eliminating Regulatory Obstacles to PACE Bonds.

The American Institute of Architects today called on Congress to pass legislation that guarantees local governments the right to establish clean energy programs through Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bonds.

PACE bonds are municipal bonds in which the proceeds from the sale of the bonds are loaned to commercial and residential property owners for the purpose of financing energy retrofits. These loans are then re-paid over long periods of time – much like a mortgage - via an annual assessment on their property tax bill. Given the numerous, well-documented benefits that energy efficient buildings offer, PACE bonds are viewed as an innovative tool to help property owners reduce energy consumption.
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA)Architecture PracticeTue, 20 Jul 2010 12:38:56 +0000USGBC and AIA Announce Architecture for Humanity Sustainability Design Fellowhttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/usgbc-and-aia-announce-architecture-for-humanity-sustainability-design-fellow/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/usgbc-and-aia-announce-architecture-for-humanity-sustainability-design-fellow/Stacey McMahan, LEED AP, Selected to Head Haiti Sustainable Rebuilding Efforts

One month after the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the search for the Architecture for Humanity (AFH) Sustainable Design Fellow to lead AFH’s sustainable rebuilding efforts in Haiti, Stacey McMahan, AIA, LEED AP, has been appointed to the fellowship. McMahan will work directly with community members on the ground in Architecture for Humanity’s Rebuilding Center based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

USGBC, AIA and AFH recognize that this crisis presents an unprecedented opportunity to learn from the reconstruction work and improve disaster responses elsewhere in the world and here in the U.S. through green building. McMahan’s work on the ground in Haiti will be vital to future education on how sustainability after a disaster can be achieved. “Sustainability needs a strong voice in Haiti’s reconstruction,” said Eric Cesal, Regional Program Manager for Architecture for Humanity in Haiti. “Faced with urgent needs on the ground, there is always a temptation to do it fast, instead of doing it right. We expect McMahan will help us do both.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeWed, 14 Jul 2010 20:46:39 +0000Architecture Billings Index Falls Back After Three Months of Improving Conditions http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-falls-back-after-three-months-of-improving-conditions-/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/architecture-billings-index-falls-back-after-three-months-of-improving-conditions-/Lack of available credit continues to plague design industry

After three straight months of improving conditions, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell nearly three points. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the May ABI rating was 45.8, down substantially from a reading of 48.4 the previous month. This score reflects a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), and comes on the heels of the highest score since January 2008 when revenue at architecture firms headed into recession. The new projects inquiry index was 55.5.

“This dip is somewhat of a surprise since it appeared that conditions were pointing towards a recovery,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The overriding issue affecting the entire real estate sector is unusual caution on the part of lending institutions to provide credit for construction projects that apparently would be successful in this economic environment.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeWed, 23 Jun 2010 17:12:24 +0000AIA Applauds U.S. Mayors’ Endorsement of International Green Construction Code (IGCC)http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-applauds-us-mayors-endorsement-of-international-green-construction-code/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-applauds-us-mayors-endorsement-of-international-green-construction-code/The Mayors’ Conference endorsement today of the IGCC at its annual meeting is a major expression of support from an organization outside of the building and construction industry. Such resolutions document support for a policy and represent ways for mayors to learn about and support policies nationally that they are free to adopt in their communities.
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeTue, 15 Jun 2010 14:19:39 +0000AIA Advocates for Open Standards in Interoperability for Design Softwarehttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-advocates-for-open-standards-in-interoperability-for-design-software/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-advocates-for-open-standards-in-interoperability-for-design-software/
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA Press Release)Architecture PracticeFri, 11 Jun 2010 17:17:05 +0000AIA Introduces Tool to Help Architecture Firms Track Predicted Energy Use in Building Projectshttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-introduces-tool-to-help-architecture-firms-track-predicted-energy-use-in-building-projects/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/aia-introduces-tool-to-help-architecture-firms-track-predicted-energy-use-in-building-projects/Initiative part of goal to reach carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030

As part of the voluntary 2030 commitment program where architecture firms and other entities in the built environment pledge to develop multi-year action plans and implement steps that can advance the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030, the AIA has unveiled a new tool that generates a report on predicted energy use and project modeling.

“This tool is a valuable resource for architecture firms and will be used on their entire portfolio, not just for projects seeking green building certification,” said AIA President, George H. Miller, FAIA. “The tool was specifically developed to be simple to use and to be used by firms of all sizes on a variety of building types, large and small.”

The Excel-based reporting tool will only require the user to enter project use type (from a drop down menu), gross square footage, (GSF), yes/no questions: Is project Interior only? Is project modeled? and predicted energy use intensity (PEUI).
]]>info@archinnovations.com (AIA PR)Architecture PracticeThu, 10 Jun 2010 11:39:55 +0000American Institute of Architects (AIA) Releases Updated Bond Forms and Three New Agreementshttp://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/american-institute-of-architects-aia-releases-updated-bond-forms-and-three-new-agreements/
http://www.archinnovations.com/news/architecture-practice/american-institute-of-architects-aia-releases-updated-bond-forms-and-three-new-agreements/On June 10, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) will announce the release of three updated bond forms as well as three new agreements, including an owner-architect agreement for pro bono services and two Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) agreements. Collectively called the “4.3 Release,” these six documents, A312™–2010, Payment Bond; A312™–2010, Performance Bond; A310™–2010, Bid Bond; B106™–2010, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for Pro Bono Services; C198™–2010, Standard Form of Agreement Between Single Purpose Entity and Consultant for Integrated Project Delivery; and C199™–2010, Standard Form of Agreement Between Single Purpose Entity and Contractor for Integrated Project Delivery, build on the AIA Contract Documents program’s 120 years of experience as the industry standard in defining the contractual relationships that govern the design and construction industry. These documents, and the bond forms in particular, highlight the AIA’s efforts to collaborate with industry stakeholders and practitioners in the development process.

“The AIA Contract Documents Committee is comprised of industry professionals representing a cross-section of project stakeholders. Members of the Documents Committee, in conjunction with experienced legal and insurance counsel and numerous industry liaisons, work together on a long-term basis to update existing AIA Contract Documents® as well as to create new documents to meet the ever-evolving needs of the industry,” said Ken Cobleigh, Managing Director and Counsel for the AIA Contract Documents® content team. “In particular, the AIA Contract Documents program continues to lead the industry toward greater collaboration among architects, owners, and contractors.”
]]>mail@cadtopia.ca (AIA PR)Architecture PracticeTue, 08 Jun 2010 14:34:33 +0000